Pastor Tommy is the senior pastor of Cross Community Church (PCA) in Deerfield Beach, FL. Rev. Tommy Boland is his official title. Pastor Tommy often seems too formal. Most everyone calls him "Coach".
“Whatever you ask the Father in my name . . .” (John 16:23)
We are moving toward the conclusion of a six-part message on the three key words in prayer: “in Jesus’ name” and the six reasons why praying in Jesus’ name is the key component in the prayers we pray. So far we have seen that praying in Jesus’ name gives us access to God the Father and powerin our prayers. We have also seen that the invitation to pray in Jesus’ name is a clear indication of how deep our Father’s love is for us, and on Monday we rejoiced in the assurance we have that praying in Jesus name brings glory to the Father, which pleases Him a great deal! Today we will look at the security that comes with praying in Jesus’ name.
Key #5 – Security
Praying in Jesus’ name is a constant reminder of the eternal security we have in our Savior, Jesus Christ, who said “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away” (John 16:1 ESV). The simplest way I know of communicating this biblical truth is this: Once His, always His! Every time we pray in Jesus’ name we are reminded that we are eternally secure in our right relationship with God. Satan cannot separate us from our Savior; even our sin cannot shipwreck our salvation. We have an eternal salvation security that is unaffected by anything in this world — not because of our faithfulness to God, but because of His faithfulness to us . . . in Jesus’ name.
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:27-30)
Jesus reminded His disciples to continue praying in His name because it would be a constant reminder of their eternal security when they would need it most. They were about to face incredible persecution for their faith in Jesus; many of them would die a martyr’s death. In order to hold fast to their faith in the face of terrible trials, they needed to be reminded that nothing in this life — not death nor their own wavering faith nor even their outright sin — could ever separate them from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Let each prayer you pray “in Jesus’ name” be a constant reminder of the security you have — not because you have Jesus, but because Jesus holds you in His hand.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:13)
Dear Kim,
I am praising God and thanking you for 31 years of marriage, knowing that it must seem like a lot more than 31 years with all you have had to put up with from me. Even though I have not always shown it, you are my best friend and true love. When God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him” (Genesis 2:18), He blessed me with the greatest helper I could have ever found in this world.
We have traveled these 31 years together through seasons of both sunshine and rain, and through it all, you have stayed by my side. God has blessed us with four amazing children who all love Jesus and live for Him in their own special way. You are the greatest mother in the world, and your faithfulness to God has set the shining example for our children to follow. In closing, let me echo the words of the apostle John, who said, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (3 John 1:4):
As great as my joy is to see our children walking with Jesus, my greatest joy in all the world is to be with you each day.
“Whatever you ask the Father in my name . . .” (John 16:23)
We are halfway through a six-part message on the three key words we utter in prayer: “in Jesus’ name.” I have been expanding on six reasons why praying in Jesus’ name is the key component in the prayers we pray. We have seen that praying in Jesus’ name gives us access to God the Father and powerin our prayers. We also saw that the invitation to pray in Jesus’ name is a clear indication of how deep our Father’s love is for us. Today we’ll look at the fourth reason: Assurance.
Key #4 – Assurance
We have been speaking about our prayers in Jesus’ name, but today I want to share with you how our assurance in prayer is for the name of Jesus.
“Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it” (John 14:13-14).
And there you have it! The glory of God is at stake when we pray in Jesus’ name. Whether we are crying out with the most heart-wrenching, soul-aching prayers or simply engaging in something as seemingly insignificant as asking a blessing over our food, the glory of God is at stake . . . and God will not allow anything to violate or encroach on His glory. Think about that for a minute; could there be any greater assurance in approaching the throne of grace? I don’ think so!
So as you are praying in the name of Jesus, remember that you are also praying for the name of Jesus. As you pray in Jesus’ name, you are coming into the presence of the Father in the power of the Holy Spirit, joining Jesus in doing what He ever lives to do: bringing glory to His Father in heaven. Let that truth sink deep into your soul and keep you coming continually into the presence of the Father, praying in Jesus’ name, knowing the assurance you have because every prayer uttered in Jesus’ name is also for Jesus’ name.
You may recall the event described in John’s gospel when Jesus cried out, “Father, glorify your name!”
Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him. (John 12:28-29)
His name is glorified when we pray in the name of His beloved Son. Let us glorify His name . . . praying in Jesus’ name . . . again and again and again!
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
“Whatever you ask the Father in my name . . .” (John 16:23)
We are moving through a six-part message on the three key words in prayer: “in Jesus’ name.” We are going to explore six reasons why praying in Jesus’ name is the key component in the prayers we pray. So far we have seen that praying in Jesus’ name gives us access to God the Father and powerin our prayers.Today we will look at love.
Key #3 – Love
Every prayer we pay in Jesus name is a wonderful reminder of just how much we are loved by our Father in heaven. Because “The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand” (John 3:35), we can be assured of the Father’s love for us as well. Jesus reiterates this truth in these words, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love” (John 15:9). Now, if that doesn’t light the fire of your faith and faithfulness to Jesus, your wood is wet!
Remember, we are not loved by God because of anything that is in us. We are, in fact, very unlovable most of the time! Can I get a witness? We are loved because we are in Christ, by grace through faith, which is a timeless truth that meets the deepest desire of every human heart: to be LOVED. The next time you pray in Jesus’ name, let it remind you of the love that has been lavished on you from on high. You have access to the Father. You have power with the Father. You are loved by the Father. And all of this is because of your relationship with His dearly beloved Son, who said, “The Father will give you whatever you ask in my name” (John 15:16).
It may be hard to believe, especially in those moments when we are our most unlovable, but we are loved by the Father simply because of the love He has for the Son. This love is as unconditional as it is eternal.
One last thought: When God called Jesus “my Son, whom I love,” He was speaking that truth over you as well! Do you receive it today? If you do, let it be reflected by your prayers offered in Jesus’ name.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
“Whatever you ask the Father in my name . . .” (John 16:23)
On Monday I presented the first installment of a six-part message on the three key words in prayer: “in Jesus’ name.” I want to explore six reasons why praying in Jesus’ name is the key component in the prayers we pray. On Monday we saw that praying in Jesus’ name gives us access to God the Father; today we will see that praying in Jesus’ name gives our prayers power.
Key #2 – Power
Praying in Jesus’ name give us access to the Father, and it puts power in our prayers as well. You see, the Lord Jesus has given us all the right to use His name when we come before the throne of grace, knowing the unlimited power His name carries with it. Because all authority has been given to Jesus by the Father (Matthew 28:18), praying in Jesus name carries with it all of His authority . . . and that is an insuperable power!
Here is a wonderful example of the power of Jesus’ name. Peter and John were on their way to the temple at the hour of prayer in the afternoon. Remember, these two could not even stay awake for one hour to keep watch and pray with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night He was betrayed; now they are men of prayer.
Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, then ninth hour. (Acts 3:1)
When they arrived at the temple, they encountered a lame man who was carried to the gate of the temple each day to ask for alms from those entering the temple. When this man saw Peter and John, he made his request. Peter replied, “Look at us!” Fully expecting to receive some charity, the man turned to look at the two apostles, and he heard these powerful words that changed the trajectory of his entire existence:
Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk” (Acts 3:6).
In that instant, this man who had been lame from birth experienced the power of prayer in Jesus’ name. Peter took the lame man by the right hand, helped him up, and immediately the man’s feet and ankles became strong. Then comes my favorite part: This man who had been lame from birth began walking and leaping and praising God! He followed Peter and John into the temple courts, still crying out praises to the God who had healed him.
Remember, there is all the power you need to meet your every need when you pray in Jesus’ name. Have you been accessing it?
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
“Whatever you ask the Father in my name . . .” (John 16:23)
Inasmuch as we do not have any prayers in the Bible that end with the words “in Jesus’ name,” we do see many other things that take place in Jesus’ name : We heal in the name of Jesus (Acts 3:6); we baptize in the name of Jesus (Acts 2:38); we teach in the name of Jesus (Acts 4:18). The closest thing we see to praying in Jesus’ name is found in our verse for today — the words which Jesus spoke on the night He was betrayed: “Whatever you ask the Father in my name” (John 14:13, 15:16, 16:23). Over the next two weeks, we will examine six reasons why these three words are the key component in the prayers we pray.
Key 1 – Access
The only reason we are heard by the Father is because we pray in the name of His Son, Jesus. Because we trust in Christ alone through faith alone because of His sinless life, sacrificial death, and supernatural resurrection, we have access to the throne of grace 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
When Jesus said, “I am the way” (John 14:6), we are to understand this biblical truth as the key that unlocks the divine door leading to our access to the Almighty Father in heaven. Our Lord was not ambiguous: “No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Through [Jesus] we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. (Ephesians 2:18)
So . . . are you praying “in Jesus’ name,” knowing that you have been granted access to the Father and that your prayers are being heard? Let this truth encourage you to keep on praying in the name of Jesus as you enter into the most holy place, where the Father waits to hear from you in the great name of His Son.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” . . . Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.” “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?” But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob. (Exodus 25:29-33).
How often we are just like Esau in that moment! We settle for far less than God’s best for our lives because we want whatever it is right in front of us right now to fill up some emptiness inside. Rather than fixing our focus on the Only One who can meet our every need, we reach for what we think will make us feel better in the moment.
Esau traded the lasting, lifelong benefits of his birthright for the immediate and momentary pleasure of a bowl of hot red stew. Impulse caused Esau to satisfy his hunger instantly without giving a moment’s thought to the long-term consequences of his actions. You and I may scoff at Esau, but the same is true for all of us at times. We see something we want, and we grab for it without “counting the cost.” For that moment, we are indeed satisfied, but, more often than not, that instant pleasure leads to lasting pain. Instant gratification can often blind us to the pain that lurks just around the corner.
So what do we do to keep from making the same mistake Esau made? We forsake instant gratification.
The key to doing that is to count the cost, by comparing the short-term pleasure against the long-term pain. We are all just like Esau; we wildly exaggerate what we think we need. Was Esau really going to die from starvation? He had missed a few meals and he was hungry. His sight was blinded by the smell of the food, which eventually dulled his mind to choose instant gratification rather than eternal gain.
You and I can both point to multiple times that we have made the same mistake in our own lives. Here are just a few:
Trading family time for business success
Trading good health for the pleasures of food
Trading exercise for ease
Trading wants for needs
It is all too easy to fritter away great portions of our lives chasing after things that don’t really matter . . . or worse, things that cause great pain and harm to us and others. By God’s grace, may the testimony of Esau’s not be ours: “He ate and drank and then got up and left” (Genesis 25:34). The rest of the story tells us of the terrible regret Esau felt after he thought through what he had done. At one point, “He burst out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, ‘Bless me — me too, my father!'” (Genesis 27:34). The blessing, however, had already been given to another.
A little extra thought on the front end will save us from great pain and regret on the back end. So let us all learn how to forsake instant gratification!
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
At this, many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him. (John 6:66)
Did you know that good and godly leadership is about following? Yes, leadership is about becoming a follower of One . . . and that One is Jesus Christ. Be blessed as you read on!
Whether we are leading our company, our family, our small group, or just ourselves, we are all leading others. Even when we are not in any kind of obvious leadership role, we can be certain that others are watching us, simply because we have professed our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. If our walk is to match our talk and bring the most glory God and good to others, we must be committed to living as a follower of One.
When we are truly committed to following Jesus, we will go wherever He leads us, unlike the many disciples who deserted Him because His teaching was “hard” (John 6:60). To be sure, there are times when following Him can be difficult. It’s easy to stay in step with Jesus when He is leading us down the path of progress and the sky is blue, the clouds are fleecy, and the sun is shining brightly. But what about those seasons when Jesus leads us down a path that is littered with pitfalls and problems, and the sky grows dark and the storm winds begin to howl? We have a tendency to separate ourselves from Him at those times, thinking that distance will insulate us from the difficulties we are facing. But nothing could be further from the truth! Our Lord has ordained the difficult path for us to walk, and He has committed to walking it with us every step of the way.
Can you imagine what Matthew must have been thinking when Jesus said, “Follow me”? Here was this hated Jewish tax collector, a traitor in the eyes of his countrymen because he had chosen to serve Rome. Matthew was making a ton of money at the expense of his own people and was fully protected by the Roman government. This would be the last person anyone would think Jesus would be interested in leading, andJesus would be the last person anyone would think Matthew would be interested in following! Yet when the Lord spoke just two words, — “Follow me” — Matthew got up and followed him! (Matthew 9:9). In an instant, Matthew gave up his old life for his new life in Christ. He walked away from a position of prosperity and power and protection to become a follower of the One, which would eventually cost Matthew everything, including his very life.
Who have you been following lately? Remember, we cannot judge the direction in life based on the difficulties we are facing. Jesus leads us down the difficult path because He is more concerned about our holiness than our happiness. Ultimately, of course, He intends for us to be conformed into His image. So don’t turn back! Press in and follow Him.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (Ephesians 4:32)
I encounter far too many people in the church who are held hostage by unforgiveness. What they need is a dose of Gospel forgiveness that Jesus shared with Peter: seventy times seven. Read on and be greatly encouraged today!
When we withhold forgiveness from others, we are holding on to some of the most damaging and deadly emotions we can experience: hurt, blame, anger, and revenge. These toxic feelings not only cloud our judgment but discolor every aspect of our lives. I have said many times from the pulpit that unforgiveness does far more damage to the vessel in which it is stored than it does to the object on which it is poured.
When Peter asked Jesus about forgiveness, he knew that the rabbis taught that forgiveness was to be extended to the wrongdoer up to three times. So, Peter being Peter, he doubled that number plus one and suggested to Jesus that perhaps up to seven times should be a sufficient number of times to forgive a brother who had sinned against him. Jesus immediately course-corrected Peter by describing the kind of Gospel forgiveness that Peter had been given by God: “I tell you,” Jesus said to Peter, “not seven times, but seventy-seven times” (Matthew 18:22).
In the 2009 film Invictus, actor Morgan Freeman played the part of Nelson Mandala, who was imprisoned for 27-years, subsequently elected president of South Africa, and faced the daunting task of unifying a country that had been deeply divided by race. In one memorable scene, Mandela/Freeman says firmly, “Forgiveness starts here,” that is, with us. “Forgiveness liberates the soul. It removes fear. That is why it is such a powerful weapon. The past is the past, we look to the future.”
Have you been held hostage by unforgiveness? I think we all have from time to time. The key is to remember how unconditional God’s forgiveness is for us and trust Him for the strength to deliver it to anyone who has wronged us. Now, I am not saying this is easy to do! Some have endured unimaginable pain and hurt from others. That is why forgiveness can only be done in the strength of our Lord. We must never forget how our Lord offered forgiveness to His enemies as He hung on that cross, bleeding and dying for your sins and mine. When we do that, we will be given the strength to forgive even when we would rather not.
Let me close with these words from the 20th-century Christian theologian Lewis B. Smedes, who said, “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.”
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
We have seen this week how God has loved you always, from eternity past and that He loves you in the present, no matter what. In the final installment of this series, we’ll look at the truth that God will continue to love you in your promised future.
Loved in the Promised Future
Because all of the rest of your life lies in the future, it is absolutely vital to be reminded of God’s continuing love for us throughout that future. We do not know what the future holds, and we certainly cannot control the future, so we must keep our eyes on “the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways” (Daniel 5:23 NKJV). He is the One who determines our future and has everything in His complete, sovereign control. And there is no better passage of Scripture to assure us about God’s love in our promised future than this promise that the Holy Spirit gave to the apostle Paul:
I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, not any powers, neither height nor death nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)
Regardless of the details of daily living, including death itself, nothing can or ever will separate us from God’s love. No issue . . . no event . . . no storm . . . no sin . . . nothing can separate us from the love God has for us in Christ Jesus. Think about it this way: God is love, and we can’t have God without having His love. Therefore, if we were to be separated from His love, we would have to be separated from God Himself. And as we just saw from the passage in Romans, that is not possible!
Nobody knew this truth better than the one who penned it. Paul’s Christian life was filled with adversity, and he knew that one day his faith in Jesus would cost him his very life. But he also knew the truth that he was not only eternally loved by God in his past and in his present, he would always be loved by God throughout His promised eternal future.
Remember, God so loved YOU that He sent His Son Jesus to pay the penalty for your sins. Let His love be both a comfort and a challenge – a comfort when the storm winds are blowing and a challenge to keep on keeping on, no matter what trials you are facing in this life. God loves you! He has always loved you . . . He loves you today . . . and He will love you for all eternity. You have His Word on that!
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 